


To Flee or to Fight

by SusanShining



Series: Scars of a Child [5]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Child Abuse, Dreams and Nightmares, Drowning, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Knives, Varian Needs a Hug (Disney), but he gets one dont worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27824191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SusanShining/pseuds/SusanShining
Summary: Varian finds himself in the middle of the ocean, drowning as he had done before, only this time, people are around to help.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow & Varian, Lady Caine & Varian (Disney)
Series: Scars of a Child [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924363
Comments: 18
Kudos: 74





	1. Drowning and Diving

**Author's Note:**

> Ok for real this part of the series took me a long time to finish, so here you go.

The water was raging, and Varian was drowning.

He distantly remembered having a similar experience nothing short of 6 weeks, when the caravan had crashed on the island. However this time there were no wooden planks, ropes, or Lance to grab onto to keep him afloat. He had panicked then too, but there was always something to help him to keep breathing. To keep him from falling. To keep him alive. But he could never trust water he couldn’t drink in a cup. It was strong, unforgiving, and uncontrollable. They were lucky that no one had gotten seriously hurt.

It had seemed that the world around him just kept throwing everything it had at him, trying to wear him down. He had said as much to Lance, who assured him that things would always get better. Said that he should “stand up to the rest of the world and prove it wrong.” But Varian didn’t think he could. He never could.

And as his eyes burned and lungs screamed at him for air, there were three things that became clear to him.

The first one hurt him more than any of the others. Lance had lied. He had lied because things  _ couldn’t _ get better. Not until he and his dad were safely in Old Corona. Not until the king was far away in that cursed castle of his. Where their kingdom wouldn’t have to hold their words of fear and anger inside as he had been forced to. When Rapunzel could take her place on the throne. Where maybe- _ maybe- _ she could do a better job at caring for the people and not the crown.

But the world around him was already fading as he sunk into the depths of the sea. He distantly hoped that Eugene hadn’t fallen in alongside him. It wouldn’t have made anything better if they both died for that silly, stupid mistake.

At first, when he had hit the water, he could do nothing but panic. Flailing his arms around as the waves crashed against him, flinging him around like a rag doll as he was forced to swallow in the bitter seawater. He couldn’t think. It was too dark- too  _ cold. _ Why was all the water so cold? 

And that was the second thought. The water didn’t care. It didn’t care about who it hurt, who it killed. It was eternal, everlasting, unyielding. Next to it, he was nothing. It didn’t need to care about how many hours his head had been shoved into it in seemingly endless torture that would never stop. For the answers he kept inside in a futile way to protect them. To protect the small part of himself that didn’t want to give up.

Oh, how foolish he had been all those months ago in the darkness. He thought he was helping. He thought that he could’ve gone on, to do  _ anything _ to resist the urge to give in. He should’ve just told them in the very beginning. At least then he wouldn’t have suffered through weeks of endless pain and torment to end up still hurt. Still hated. Still cast aside.

And then the last thing that had entered his mind, before everything went black, was that no matter what he did. No matter how much he tried to fight back. No matter how many tears of pain and sorrow he cried to make it all  _ stop-  _ It didn’t matter.

_ He _ didn’t matter. Not when nothing he did could ever make them listen. He couldn’t fight against the king. He couldn’t fight against the Captain or his guards. He couldn’t fight against the Baron or Rapunzel or the sea. He was helpless. A leaf to be blown aside and stepped on for everyone else’s pleasure. Nothing he could ever do would be enough to defend himself. He was weak. Useless. And why should he hold on again, if only to suffer his last moments in bursting agony when he could just… stop fighting?

It was always better when he did.

And so, with those last truths to hold onto, he let out his last breath and closed his eyes.

\----------

Eugene burst from the water with a gasp, eyes searching around desperately for any sign of Varian’s raven black hair. “Varian!” he cried, a wave crashing against him and sending him under the dark depths again. Max’s white form appeared next to him and he grabbed ahold of the horses’ reins, a desperate attempt to stay together.

“Kid where are you?” he gasped again, coughing up the harsh seawater and throwing himself on top of Max’s back. It seemed to be the only way to stay above the pitch-black water.

Max neighed, panic taking over his every movement and Eugene was pushed away from him with a kick that exploded his middle in white-hot pain. Eugene cried out and Max snapping out of it and the horse’s teeth closed around his coat, yanking him back to his friend’s side but Eugene could barely feel it.  _ It was so cold- _

“VARIAN!” he tried again, blinking the stinging water out of his eyes, but he still couldn’t see the small boy, and with a sickening realization, he remembered all those weeks ago when they had made a small stop at a lake to clean off. The boy had refused to go anywhere close to the areas where he couldn’t touch the ground.

_ “Can’t swim.”  _ Varian had admitted.  _ “Never needed to.” _ And in hindsight, they probably should’ve taught him before they went into the storming  _ ocean. _

But before he could dive down into the depths, an animalistic scream sounded behind him and he turned in shock to see Ruddiger staring over the ship at them, his form being quickly blocked by a rising wave that pushed the ship and them further and further away. He distantly wondered how long it would take for Rapunzel to notice that they were gone and if it would be too late.

He shoved that thought to the furthest corner of his mind and finally dived, trying to peer into the depths of the sea and find something,  _ anything  _ to tell him where Varian was, or even if he was alive, but the shifting light and shadows of the storm above them made it virtually impossible to-

_ Flash.  _

The lightning strike lit up the sky and Eugene was finally able to catch sight of a reflection of glass and he broke through the surface, ignoring Max’s cries of alarm and taking a deep breath before diving under the crashing waves.

The current pushed against him, but his weight helped drag him down, ears popping from the higher pressure and he reached out a blind hand to grab onto the small pair of goggles only to find that there was no boy attached.

Panicking, his eyes darted around, ignoring the stinging salt water clouding his eyes. Varian  _ needed _ him. And he wasn’t going to abandon the kid again.

But when his lungs were about ready to burst, he saw him, drifting down into the darkness. Limp arms reaching for the sky and Eugene darted towards him, taking ahold of the boy’s hand and pulling with all he had. He couldn’t  _ breathe. He couldn’t breathe- _

Something burst into the water next to him, a thin figure with a long rope trailing behind them. They searched around the water for a second before spotting the two of them and diving down.

Once they arrived, he distantly realized that the rope was in a loop and the shadowy figure pulled it down over him, the rope being tightened around his midsection, but his arms, still gripping the limp form of Varian, got in the way.

He could  _ feel _ the frustration of the figure as dark spots danced around his vision and he instinctively fought against the urge to breathe in when they tried to grab at the boy. He was growing weaker however and didn’t stand a chance, so was relieved to see them not leave Varian behind, but push the boy through the rope, tying them together.

The last thing he could make out before everything went black was the shadowy figure coming up next to him and tugging the rope once before they were yanked up, water rushing past him as they broke the surface.

\----------

Varian’s head broke the surface and he gasped out for air, shivering uncontrollably as the familiar feeling of ice-cold clothes clung to his skin. He coughed out water harshly, it burning in his throat. 

What- what had happened? Did- did someone save him? Was he going to be okay? He blinked his eyes open, teeth chattering as his eyes drifted around his surroundings. But when he recognized the stone floors and walls, his mind froze.

_ No. _

Shooting himself up, his form shook from the cold and fear. Why was he  _ here? _ They- they had left Corona! It shouldn’t be possible! Lance- Lance had told him that he was never going to come back here again!  _ Why. Was. He. Here? _

Pushing his legs through the shallow waters, his eyes darted around. The- the table wasn’t here. Nor the chairs or- or the Captain but- why was the room flooded? They- they never did that! They only used the- the bucket for drowning him, and the door was wooden, so the water would just-

“Did I tell you that you could stand?” a rough voice snapped at him and he whirled around, eyes widening in shock and in horror to see the king towering above him.

“I- n-no sir you didn’t but-” his eye grew wider. Did- did he just-  _ talk? _

But he didn’t have time to revel at this new development before two pairs of hands grabbed his arms tightly, him letting out a yelp of surprise and fear as they manhandled him down onto his knees, pulling his hands behind him in a death-grip. He instinctively struggled against them, but it was never any use. His midsection tightened as if an arm had snaked around it, but when he looked down, there was no such thing.

“Did I say you could stand?” the king demanded him again, his fingers forcing his chin up to stare wide-eyed up at the man.

“N-no sir!” Varian shuddered, cold drilling into his nerves. His form shook violently, this- this couldn’t be happening! The king- the king never came down here! This must be some- some sort of trick!

Even so, the king let go of his chin dismissively and strode away, motioning for the two men holding him to follow. Soon, he was being dragged along to a slanted wooden slab on the far side of the room. It wasn’t a table per se, it was suspended in mid-air by chains from the ceiling- Where had that come from?

“Bind him.” the king commanded and his eyes widened. The only time he had been- been tied down was-

“No!” he begged, digging his feet uselessly into the cold stone floor. “P-please don’t! I- I told you everything already!” But the water only allowed his captors to push past his attempts, dragging him over and lifting him off the ground and tossing him roughly onto the slab.

They moved so fast- he couldn’t even see their faces as they yanked his arms to the side, cold metal clamping around his wrists. He panicked, kicking his legs in a futile attempt to fight back. It didn’t work though, their arms in unison pushing his legs onto the table and securing them. They didn’t seem satisfied with that however and soon, metal restraints appeared on both his neck and torso, taking away his ability to move.

“Stop!” he pleaded again, feeling so exposed in the star-fish position. “I- what do you want? Just- just  _ please _ let me go!” He wanted to curl up, to- to do  _ anything- _ what did they want? He had done everything they asked!

“Do you remember our agreement?” Fredrick asked, striding up to his side, black armor clinking against the tiles. His fingers drummed against his hip where a sword sheath lay and a shiver went up Varian’s spine. “But no… you probably don’t. Otherwise, my daughter wouldn’t be cursing my name every time she gazes at your pitiful face.”

“W-what?” Varian's form trembled. The freezing water was really getting to him. “I- I don’t-”

“Don’t lie to me.” the king snapped. “In the infirmity, right before you left. Don’t you remember our conversation?”

Varian felt cold. He could barely remember that. It had all passed in a blur when they had found him in the dark. Cold and pathetic. He was barely responsive during that time. It had been so long since he had last been in a positive environment, it was hard to think past the concerned looks, and nurses fussing all over him. 

He distantly recognized one of them from the- from the cutting. She hadn’t said anything to him but made sure he received food and water. When they were in private, she made sure to check on his mouth, to make sure-  _ it-  _ had healed right. She was… kind in that way most doctors were. Almost made him smile when she had allowed Ruddiger to stay with him during his rest.

He hadn’t wanted it to end, but when they finally left him for the night, the king had of course found a way inside.

“Do you remember how weak you were?” the king asked softly, but Varian’s feeling of unease only grew stronger as the man pulled out a sickeningly familiar dagger from his belt. “I probably could’ve killed you right then and there. But I didn’t. Do you know why Varian of Old Corona?”

Varian’s mouth moved wordlessly, trying to find out what to say. “N-no sir I- I don’t- but- but what-”

“I thought you would be able to change,” he told the terrified child, leaning forward and sliding the blade under Varian’s neck, freezing the teen’s movements. “I thought perhaps if I could give you one last chance to live… but no. I gave you one condition and you threw it out the window.”

“I- I don’t know what you mean!” Varian’s voice hitched as the metal cutting into his skin and drawing blood. He- he wasn’t going to kill him right?

“What did I say about  _ lying? _ ” the king hissed, glaring as tears poured out of the teen’s eyes. “I said to remain quiet about what happened to my daughter, and you just had to blabber all about it.”

Varian’s eyes widened in terror. “No! I- I didn’t I swear! They- They found out on their own!”

“You really expect me to believe that?” the man pressed the knife deeper into Varian’s collar bone. The blood began to stain Varian’s soaked shirt and the child squirmed under its pressure but bit his lip to keep from crying out. The king wanted him silent right? Then- then he would be silent! It would stop the hurting right?

“She hates me now. And it’s all your fault.” Frederick snapped, pulling the bloodied knife off of Varian’s skin and the child winced when he flicked droplets of blood in his face. His head felt woozy, but he couldn’t go under. They never liked it when he fell asleep-

“Do you recall what I ordered?” the king voiced quietly. “If you cooperate with my rule, then you wouldn’t be harmed any longer?”

“I- yes. I- I do sir.” Varian bit his lip, trying to keep it still, but when the king turned back to him with the red dagger, he shut his eyes and turned his head away. It didn’t matter though, the king didn’t need him to look at him to answer anything.

“Well then.” the king said, blessedly placing the dagger into the sheath. “I only have one question,  _ why did you kill Quirin?” _

\-------------

“What are you doing to him?” Eugene demanded, glaring from across the room at Lady Caine. His sight was blurry and his eyes were burning like someone had just cut onions right in front of his face. The pirates had said something about pepper oils in the sea, and apparently, it would be affecting his eyesight for a few hours. 

She didn’t look up from her work however, (well at least as far as he could see) choosing to instead continue squishing whatever it was that was in the wooden bowl. It looked to be a sort of purple goop that she dipped a flat brush in, painting it on top of Varian’s closed eyes. Once they had been pulled from out of the water, the pirates had thankfully attended to getting the water out of Varian’s lungs. Eugene was grateful for Caine and her crew for saving them, sure, but that didn’t mean that he trusted them as far as he could throw them. And by the looks of it, they didn’t trust him either, chaining him to the wall of Caine’s room and taking Max somewhere below.

The teen hadn’t awoken yet, but he was breathing slightly, face scrunched up in pain at some dream he could be having at this very moment. He had wanted to wake him up at the first sign of discomfort from his rest, but Caine had said that it would be better to treat him in sleep.

“The paste is supposed to cancel out the pepper oils that got in his eyes.” the woman, at last, spoke from her place, still not looking at him. “I’d give some to you but… I have a feeling you’d just bite my hand off.”

Eugene scoffed but wasn’t surprised as he tried dabbing his eyes with the soaking wet cuffs of his shirt. They wouldn’t help in the long run, but it at least gave him momentary relief from the stinging sensation. 

Sighing, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. It didn’t seem that his captors wanted to kill him. Though he was suspicious when the Stabingtons had turned up, Lady Caine made it quite clear that he and Varian were more useful alive, and that anyone who thought otherwise would be promptly thrown overboard.

“I… thanks for earlier,” he told her. “You really saved us, so… thank you.”

She turned her head to him, rolling her eyes. “Like I was just going to let you and the kid drown. I’m not heartless Flynn.”

“It’s Eugene now-” he corrected her briefly. “And I’m grateful, but.. How?”

“One of our look-outs spotted the house in the sea,” she explained, and he heard her footsteps calmly approach him. “We recognized it, didn’t see you, and I dived.” he sensed her raise her hand, likely holding the brush. “I’ll put this on, but no funny business, got it?” She waited for him to nod before a cold substance was spread over his eyes. It felt soothing to his eyelids, and he thanked her before he once again heard her walk away from him.

“It should dissolve in a few minutes,” she told him. “Until then, keep your eyes closed.”

“So… how long have you been out of prison?” he asked hesitantly. “You’ve managed to get a boat and-”

“It’s a prison barge,” she noted bluntly. “We staged a mutiny and are going to sail off to Bayangor, anything to get away from Corona.”

“Ah.” he went silent at that for a moment. “And what do you plan to do with me?”

“Your princess’s signature will allow us access to the Pinscotta copper mines. The barges' records show that my father  _ should _ be in there.” she paused for a bit, almost as if the words troubled her. “The storm should land all boats on a nice coastal shore north of here, where we’ll make the exchange.”

“So you plan to break into one of the most heavily populated prisons in the area, to get your dad?” he hesitated. “Caine… it’s been almost 16 years, are you sure he’s even-”

“I need his name.” she interrupted him, and after a moment, she clarified. “The kid. What’s his name?”

“Oh. Varian?” he tilted his head in confusion. He could feel the goop on top of his eyes fizzle, it was probably done. “But why-”

“It doesn’t matter okay?” she jumped in, letting out a heavy sigh. “Varian… so that’s what you’re called, has a nice ring to it, huh kid?” he heard her murmur as the substance drizzle out of his eyes, allowing him to see her gently brush the kid’s soaked bangs to the side.

“Did you meet him before?” Eugene asked carefully, mind trying to place the puzzle pieces together. “When… when he was in prison?”

Her head slapped up at his question, gaze hardening for a second before scowling. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Stone walls echo okay? Let’s leave it at that.”

“ _ What? _ ” he asked, incredulous. “You can’t just say something like that and tell me to-”

“Every day.” she snapped at him, voice soft but contained so much  _ rage _ that it stopped him dead in his tracks. “Every day. For  _ weeks _ his broken body was dragged down the hall into that cursed room. Screams going on for hours before they again threw him into a stone cell until the next day where they would beat and hurt him and-” she sighed heavily, dragging a hand down her face as she sunk into her chair, leaning back.

“I would be lying if it didn’t kill me every time I heard them open his door,” she whispered, the noise just barely reaching him. “I wanted to break through the bars and take him far away from The king, the captain, everyone.” she glared over at him. “At one point I was almost about ready to beg for you and the princess to get him out, but after that ‘mood potion’ fiasco, no one saw hide nor hair of you down there.”

Eugene went silent, looking off to the side, and she went on. “Not only that, but you knew that Freddy was willing to do something like that, and locked me up all those months ago for trying to prevent it from happening again.”

“Caine…” he closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a sigh before turning to look her dead in the eyes. “I swear to everything that we didn’t know about what was happening. If we did, we would’ve done something about it.”

“Well I certainly hope so.” she rolled her eyes. “After all, it’s not like your girlfriend is going to be queen someday, and what she becomes will decide if it happens again.” she paused, considering something for a moment. “Not like it’s going to happen to the Varian again, he’s staying with me.”


	2. Breathing and Living

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian decides he's not going to lay down and take it when the bad things come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hopefully never going to split events again. And this took FOREVER so- you're welcome.  
> Watch me hate this part with every bone in my body because I feel like it's terrible I just-

“Answer the question and this can all stop,” Frederick told the teen, twisting the knife again and prompting another howl of agony from the teen. 

“I- I didn’t kill him!” Varian sobbed, the water surrounding him mixing in with the endless streams of blood. “He’s alive! I- I know he is!”

“And how do you plan to get him out?” the king asked calmly, twisting the knife again but Varian bit his lip to keep from crying out. “One of your little alchemy tricks?”

In truth, the teen had no idea of how his father would be freed. They hadn’t come across anything that might even have a chance of shattering the amber. Once, he even spotted a black rock embedded in a tree and had Lance and Eugene try and chop it down. He had thought that perhaps there would be a weak spot in the center of the tree where the rock had grown out of. 

He had been right… mostly. There  _ had _ been a thinner piece of the black obsidian inside of it. It just… was still as unbreakable as all the rest of them.

And as for alchemy… well. He still has yet to pick up any type of chemical without having major panic attacks for the last few times he had fallen into his interest.  _ Yellow glowing amber… a burning in his hand- _

“They- they must be leading us to their source.” Varian stuttered out, trying to look anywhere but his left shoulder. “I- If we cut that off no more rocks right? They'll lose their power and- and become breakable! Then we can work from there!”

“And if it doesn’t work?” Frederick questioned him again, finally pulling the knife out. “Face it boy. You’ve killed him. So much for being as ‘innocent’ as they all think you to be. I wonder what will happen when they find out-” his lips turned upward in a grin. “I guess you really haven’t escaped me after all. You’ll be sent right back here, in a cold, lonely, dark prison cell where you belong.”

“You’re wrong!” Varian snapped, suddenly feeling a type of desperate boldness. “They won’t let that happen!”

“And so what do you expect they do, once this silly ‘quest’ of yours is completed?” the king asked, circling the table. “You’ll come back to Corona, under my rule again, and once you’ve been labeled an official orphan, be placed under my care again- until the trial for the murder of one of my vassals that is.”

Varian glared up at him, wincing when his injured shoulder flared up in pain. “I- I didn’t kill him.” he squeezed his eyes, trying to block out the rest of the world. “This- this is just a nightmare,” he said, the dots finally connecting in his head. He wasn’t here again. The king was far away, and when he woke up, Lance and Eugene and Ruddiger were going to be there and they weren’t going to let anything hurt him again.

“Maybe, but that doesn’t make  _ this- _ ” he held the bloodied knife out to himself, then forcefully pulling off Varian's right glove to reveal not only the marks from the cuffs but a splatter of noticeably paler skin on the back of his hand, almost as if someone had sprayed white paint on him there. “-Any less real.” the king pulled away and went on once the boy stayed silent. “If you don’t find a way to save your father, then this will become your new future.”

Varian only squeezed his eyes tighter, shaking his head furiously.  _ Wake up wake up wake up- _

“What was that you said? ‘Running away from the problem isn’t going to fix anything?’ Well, like father like son isn’t this?  _ Hypocrite.”  _ the king spat, words being driven into the boy’s soul like a knife.  _ Wake up, Varian! Come on- _

“Maybe that’s why Quirin jumped into the amber…” the tyrant hummed, his voice clouding over Varian’s desperate attempt to  _ wake up _ \- “He wanted to get away from it all, didn’t he? Get away from  _ you- _ ”

“SHUT UP!” Varian cried, the ringing in his ears becoming unbearable, but suddenly, the cold metal around his wrist fell away, and his body, now in mid-air without the table underneath him, fell into the water with a crash once more.

Varian, with his limbs now free, thrashed and kicked, lungs screaming for air. This wasn’t real-  _ This wasn’t real- _

His chest exploded in pain and his mouth opened in a cough. Water flowed out of it for a moment before it filled again. The water was all around him- he- he was going to drown again!

Thrashing harder, he tried his best to escape the pain. Something was pressing down on him- on his chest- on his  _ neck-  _

The shadow of the king loomed over him and he felt a wave of hopelessness wash over him. How dare he think that he would ever be free of this. Why couldn’t he just stop fighting and lay down as the king wanted him to?

The thought sent anger bubbling inside him. No. He wouldn’t stay dormant. He wouldn’t give the king the satisfaction of seeing him give up, so he wouldn’t. Not again. 

Frederick might’ve taken his voice and his passion, but Varian would  _ never _ let the king take his spirit. The boy might be broken, he might be terrified out of his mind that his father might never be free, but he was  _ not _ a quitter.

_ WAKE UP! _ He screamed at himself, eyes snapping open as he shot up, his eyes snapping open, startled and he instinctively pushed firm hands off his shoulders, breathing heavily as a fit of coughs clogged his throat. His chest screamed at his movement, but he couldn’t help but feel relieved instead. It- It was a dream. None of that was real. He- He hadn’t been drowning. 

“Varian?” the boy blinked his eyes, his sight clearing to reveal one of whom he had expected to see, there. Sitting on the edge of the bed he had been laid in. “Kid are you alright?” Eugene asked, reaching out a hesitant hand towards him, which Varian, thankfully, didn’t pull away from and he rested it on the boy’s shoulder comfortingly.

The boy nodded shakily, thoughts finally coming together as they notably ignored what had just transpired in his dream. He brushed aside his soaking wet bangs- trying to figure out what had happened and where they were.

His eyes scanned over the room. They looked to be in some sort of captain’s quarters, but more on the armory side than comfort. Weapons lined the walls on hooks and he felt a shiver go up his spine when his gaze fell upon a row of handcuffs.

“I know you’re probably really confused right now but- Hey- Kid it’s going to be alright, no one’s going to hurt you,” Eugene assured him, reaching forward when Varian’s breathing picked up and gripped the boy’s shoulders to rub comforting circles on them. The effect was instantaneous, as it always was, to snap him out of his panicked state.

Varian’s eyes snapped to Eugene’s and met his gaze with a hesitant nod.  _ “What happened?” _ he asked, hands trembling from the cold water of the sea, however, Eugene could still understand it and bit his lip, considering how to respond.

He… still wasn’t quite sure what to do next. It seemed that Caine had no intention of causing any harm to them- Varian especially- so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to fight back against them. Not when Varian was still shivering and soaking wet from their dip in the ocean.

“Well...” the man began. “After you fell into the water, I- had a bit of trouble finding you at first, but when I did, it was a bit difficult to pull you up, and… I thought that we were going to drown right there and then, but- well, someone unexpected saved us.” he glanced at the door. They still probably had some more time before the captain returned from her ‘duties,’ but that didn’t stop him from worrying about how firm she had been about keeping Varian with her.

_ “Prison ship,” _ Varian noted, pressing his lips together when Eugene nodded.  _ “Arrested?” _

“No… not really.” he scratched the back of his head, small streams of water still coming out of his mop of hair. Caine had told them that she’d try and find some dry clothes some time, but he wasn’t counting on it. “We’re on a prison barge, but… it’s not run by guards.”

Varian frowned, wrapping his arms around himself as he involuntarily shivered. Right… that was what happened, wasn’t it? They fell into the water and- and Euegene saved him. But… who saved Eugene?

The older man seemed to sense his confusion and continued. “There was a… mutiny on board. The criminals that were imprisoned here are planning to trade us back to our friends once we dock at a safe location.”

Varian’s eyes widened, grip on his collar tightening before he swung his legs over the cott. He pushed himself off it, trying to stand but his legs immediately gave out and a wave of nausea overcame his senses. Luckily, Eugene anticipated this and caught him, sitting him back down on the bed.

“Easy kid, you can’t just come back from drowning and automatically expect to walk that quickly.” the man said, unhooking a small towel from the wall and draping it over the teen’s shoulders. “Just focus on warming up alright? We’ll be out soon.”

Varian scowled but pulled the cloth around himself tightly. It was still cold-  _ so very cold- _ but he was trying not to dwell on that. Trying to push his mind away from the darkness and to distract himself from how much his midsection hurt. That was likely from CPR, and it most likely saved his life, but it still  _ hurt _ .

He pulled his arms out from under the blanket, trying to sign something to Eugene but was stopped by a distinct  _ click _ of the door being unlocked.

Eugene’s eyes shot to the entrance when it opened to reveal a scarlet-haired woman, around Eugene’s height and carrying a bundle of dry clothes in her hands. When seeing Eugene up, she glanced at an unlocked pair of shackles connected to the wall and scowled.

“Really? I leave you for  _ ten minutes _ and you couldn’t even stay still?” her scowl hardened when her gaze fell on his hand laying reassuringly on Varian’s shoulder. The boy shrunk under her glare and pushed himself closer to the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible. The woman, upon seeing this, dropped her expression the slightest bit and motioned to some unknown individuals to come into view before entering the chamber.

“There’s a cell prepared for you down below.” the woman hissed at Eugene, marching forward and shoving half of the clothes into his hands. “It should be well prepared for such a  _ prince  _ such as yourself.” her eyes flickered to Varian with a longing look in her eyes before two figures, a male and female came into the room and to her side. The woman’s head nodded slightly, almost a signal before they came forward, grabbing Eugene’s arms and, without much struggle from the older man, pulled him out the door.

With a cry of alarm, Varian jerked forward and scrambled forward off the bed, falling onto the floor with a yelp. When this caught the eyes of the adults in the room, he didn’t have time to be embarrassed. Eugene  _ needed _ him.

“Kid stay down-” Eugene attempted but Varian only shook his head stubbornly and pushed himself to his feet, glaring at the shocked woman in front of him, firmly moving his hands in a way that could not be ignored.

_ “Do not. Touch. Him.” _

He stepped firmly up to the woman, briefly signing her off before pushing her out of his way more boldly than he meant to, but went on to help Eugene with his own captors, when the woman’s thin hand latched onto his own, stopping him before he could take another step.

He froze, staring back at her, but her expression was not one of anger or frustration, but shock and curiosity.

But before he could react, her free hand came up to his face, firmly gripping the sides of his jaw and forcing his mouth open. His eyes went wide, trying to stumble backward but her arms kept him in place, entirely at her mercy and feeling helpless as Eugene cried out in his defense, moving to intervene but the woman’s comrades sensed this and held him back.

“Caine leave him alone!” the man demanded, not fighting back against their hold, but his eyes were hardened with a sudden anger Varian had never seen in the man before. However, with no time to dwell on that, when his own free hand came up to push Caine’s hand off his jaw, her grip suddenly came off, and with a gasp of shock and horror, she freed him.

Varian pushed himself backward, not intending for her to get a hold of him again, but- she didn’t look like she intended to. Wide, horrified eyes fixed on him that made him subconsciously bring his hand to cover his lips. It wasn’t as if he was  _ ashamed _ of what she might have seen- or for better terms, what she had  _ not _ seen. It was just… he hadn’t even shown  _ Lance  _ the torn up insides of his mouth, let alone have anyone  _ want  _ to see it.

“Seas below… They really did do it.” Caine murmured, taking a deep breath and pulling her hand up to her head, visibly shaken. She didn’t look at Varian this time, however, choosing to turn to Eugene when she spoke next. “Did you know about this-? Wait- No. Of course, you did. You… you’ve been teaching him those signs, haven’t you? Helping him live without speaking?”

Eugene’s eyes were wide and surprised, not making a sound before his gaze hardened and he nodded. Caine seemed to expect this and turned away from him, moving to pace back and forth in the cabin, leaving the two boys to wonder whatever she would choose to do with them now.

“...Caine?” a hesitant voice voiced out and Varian turned to meet the female holding Eugene’s left side. “Do you want us to leave now?”

The woman stopped pacing and nodded distractedly. “Yeah Maple, go ahead and take Flynn here down below, I need some time to think.”

Before Varian could even react, Eugene was already been hauled out of the room. The man had assured him that he would be fine! A little time-out never hurt anyone.

So Varian tried to stay calm as the distinct click of the door sounded, locking him in the room with this strange, unusual woman who apparently met him before?

Lady Caine met his cautious and sighed, sensing his confusion and unease. “I’m not going to hurt you kid alright? You’ve had enough of that for a lifetime and I’m not about to add onto it.”

Varian suddenly felt a hot rush of anger before gesturing to his jaw, then her hand. Visibly angered by her forcing his mouth open.

Caine sighed and rubbed her temples, nodding her head the tiniest bit before nodding. “Yeah… I suppose that’s fair, and sorry by the way, I just… wanted to know if they really did…  _ that. _ ”

Varian stiffened, clenching his fists, but suffocated the growing anger in him. Sure this lady might be a bit controlling and demanding, but she seemed… reasonably pacifist.

_ “Can you sign?” _ he found himself asking and when she nodded in affirmation, he allowed a small sigh in relief. That would make things a lot easier.

“I’ll… let both of you go back to the princess- for a price that is,” she explained to him once he had asked what she was going to do with them. “As long as you truly want to.”

Varian tilted his head, not understanding.  _ “What do you mean?” _

She shrugged and turned away, visibly trying to act casual but failing horribly. “I mean, you don’t actually like these guys, right? Their parents did horrible acts to you while they sat happily on their thrones eating cookies.” her voice lowered dangerously, but when she seemed to notice it perked right back up. “Do you really think that their brutality hasn’t been reflected in them?”

A memory stirred within him, coming to the surface of his consciousness as her words were turned over in his head.  _ The princess will probably be as tyrannic as her senior. There’s no way such a naive little girl would stand up to the king. _

Stepping in front of the woman, and making sure she could see his hands move,  _ “She is not her father. Better. Will listen if you speak.” _

Caine scoffed. “Like she listened at her coronation? Face it, kid, she’s nothing but a mini Fred in the making spare yourself some trouble and come with us alright? You’ll have a good home here and we’ll make sure you never have to see that mad man again-” she stopped, then sighed. “Don’t expect anything more and you won’t get disappointed.”

Varian only shook his head.  _ “Logical expectations. She is better. Others are better. They are friends, not traitors.” _ he insisted, then his mind turned to a certain lovable idiot and a smile tugged on his lips.  _ “Friend has helped me much. I can’t leave him.” _

Caine met his gaze for a moment, not sensing any signs or traces of doubt, but still hesitated for a minute before nodding slightly and sitting the two of them down at the table and pulled out a roll of paper.

“Very well then, I trust your judgment, but in return, I’m going to need your help. With something.”

\-------

“And that’s… all you wanted?” the princess asked, sliding over the signed contract across the table to allow the other woman to examine her signature. Not that there was anything to find. Rapunzel couldn’t risk turning back on the deal with Eugene and Varian’s lives in the balance. And even without the two boys, it wouldn’t feel right to keep Caine from getting her father back- if was even alive that is.

Caine rolled up the scroll with a snap, resting her head on her hand as she waved the parchment at the princess. “I mean, that and a sack of coins for the horse, but after you get your precious companions back, I want nothing else to do with you and that corpse of a kingdom. Got it?  _ Nothing. _ ”

Rapunzel nodded and extended her hand, but when Caine only ignored it and stood up from her seat, the princess put her hand down and stood up in turn.

As soon as Varian and Eugene were released, both Lance and Rapunzel launched forward, wrapping their arms around their chosen individual and pulling them back, away from the pirates. The former doing his own twist to it and picking Varian’s small form up like a sack of potatoes and scolding the boy about never leaving the inside of a ship when there’s a storm out. It was an ear-full to listen to, but the boy slung over Lance’s shoulder only laughed and waited until the older man put him down to communicate his response. Rapunzel still couldn’t understand what he said- the curse of not being able to understand for the life of her how to learn the language finally taking its toll on her as Lance scolded the young teen about ‘respecting his elders’ and “I don’t care about stupid water samples!”

She in turn pulled Eugene over to a chair, sitting him down before heading back to the table as her group warily watched the pirates lead a certain furious horse down from the ship. As he bucked and withered against the ropes attempting to hold it still, Max’s eyes met the princess’s, and bolted out of his captor’s grip, likely giving his handlers rope burns as the rope slipped from their hands.

“Max!” Rapunzel laughed as her friend arrived at her side. Petting his snout briefly before gently untying his muzzle. Behind her, Cassandra tossed Lady Caine a sack of gold coins which the pirate gladly accepted.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Caine grinned, tossing the sack lightly before hooking in in her belt.

Instead of scowling, Rapunzel found herself smiling sadly. “I really do mean it when I say thank you for saving them, Lady Caine. They likely would’ve died if you hadn’t swooped in.”

The woman visibly blinked in shock, scowling a bit as her expression turned into a storm of different emotions before settling on firm resignation as she nodded. “Someone had to keep your idiots from drowning, and that was going to be me.”

“Well thank you anyway.” the princess grinned. “And good luck finding your father- And… if it’s any consolation I’m… sorry for what my father did. It wasn’t right in the slightest.”

Caine cast one last glance at something behind the princess, who turned to see the woman nod at Varian, who copied the gesture with a smile and a wave, ignoring Lance’s frustrated ranting going on about... pancakes?

Rolling his eyes, his fingers making a V sign and tapping it on his cheekbone before shrugging. Caine responded by tapping her left finger on her own cheek before narrowing the distance between her thumb and pointer finger. Once again, Rapunzel couldn’t understand it, but the way Varian smiled encouragingly at her afterward had her believe that it was something about her.

“Well I suppose that’ll be enough.” Lady Caine spoke, padding the sack of coins, but her words holding a different meaning. “But take care of the kid alright? He’s probably going to need all of you behind him if Freddy starts acting up again.”

“Will do,” Rapunzel replied, smile tenser this time as the woman boarded her ship with the rest of her crew. The princess still wasn’t sure what was going to happen once they returned from her adventures. She couldn’t very well take the crown yet- she still wasn’t ready with minimal time acting by the throne in tense situations. And then the situation concerning Varian’s safety…

She turned around, blinking in amusement and surprise to find Lance holding a squirmy figure as he wrapped a rough cloth around Varian’s furious form. The boy was yelping and struggling inside his snuggly prison. At one point, he cast a desperate look at Eugene, hoping the man would help him, but the man only chuckled and shook his head, choosing instead to pull the cloth over his head like a hood, effectively trapping the boy in the blanket.

“Common kid it’s like- what? Midnight?” the man looked at the sky in mock-confusion. The sun was clearly only a few minutes off from setting over the horizon despite the dark storm clouds retreating from the area. “Boys need their rest to grow up strong. Now let me sit you down and get out some berries for dinner. You look like you could eat an entire watermelon!”

“Uh, I think the appropriate phrase would be ‘horse’ buddy.”

“I’d like to see you say that expression with our quite intelligent four-legged mounts around  _ Eugene _ .” the man countered, at last lugging his living package, who had currently resigned to his fate and allowed Lance to plop him down at a now-repaired dining table.

Varian’s expression was long-suffering as Lance spoon-fed him out of his smushed berry jar. It had taken a while for then to find a perfect mix of fruit that Varian could safely and easily eat, but the result was worth it to see Varian having an enjoyable meal in peace.

It was an absolute wonder how they fell back into their normal routine as if nothing had happened. Lance blatantly ignoring when Cassandra complained that they still needed to travel away from port so the caravan could have the chance to dry out after the sea-faring voyage and ‘ _ Lance you were supposed to drive the caravan today.’ _ with the older man’s expected response of asking if a guy could take care of his brother anymore without someone bugging him with  _ responsibility- _

The argument was ended as Varian freed his hands from the blanket when he decided that Lance had splattered the sweetened mush over his face enough with the occasional miss of the spoon. Waving his friend off, the older man huffed and took his place at the front of the carriage when the jar of fruit juice was successfully emptied.

On the other side of the caravan, Eugene was staring out the window at the shadow of the prison barge sailing away. The memory of his encounter with Lady Caine fresh in his mind, and it confused him to no end. The woman had seemed so insistent on taking Varian with her, and the man had half a mind to start swinging fists around since trying to talk her out of it had been… less than ideal. It came as a shock to him when she had let them go so easily, and he had no doubt that the kid in question had something to do with it.

The soft padding of Varian’s familiar boots sounded behind him and he threw a quick glance over his shoulder in time to catch Varian wrap his arms around the man’s waist.

Raising his eyebrow, Eugene felt an immediate flash of concern. “Is something wrong buddy?”

_ “They hurt you?”  _ Varian asked, and when Eugene smiled and shook his head, the boy let out a sigh of relief and his grip around the older man tightened.  _ “Thank you for coming.” _

“Any time kid, but try not to give me too much credit, Lance’ll get jealous.”

_ “I can have both of you. He can manage” _ Varian smiled lightly before it faded at the sight of the ship in the distance. The sight brought a feeling to him that was almost… regretful? If he was being honest, he almost wished that Caine would’ve come with them.

Well, she was off to find her father, so he of all people could understand  _ that _ . Even though there was still a chance that their efforts would be in vain, that they wouldn’t be able to see their fathers alive again. But there was still a  _ chance  _ that they really  _ were  _ alive. A chance that both Varian and Caine would choose to take. And if it all were for naught…  _ Well _ . Varian thought with a pain of remorse  _ He would have to cross that bridge when he came to it. _


End file.
